Critical Exponent

Every couple of years, now, I find myself indulging in a bit of fervor. No religious revival for me, nor the frenzied self-righteousness of the political acolyte. No, my diversion is more circumscribed than that: attending a Madonna concert!

This weekend found us in Vancouver for Madge’s Sticky and Sweet Tour. It was fun and entertaining as always. My floor seats were awesome: close enough to the stage that I could clearly see Madonna with the naked eye and actually take in her expressive facial poses with my binoculars. While she looked good in person, I found, interestingly, that the Jumbotrons were rather, uh, unflattering, at least from my angle: weird shadows and too much eyeliner.

It seemed at times as though she was trying to do a more traditional rock concert: she had a hand or stand mike throughout, rather than her Blonde Ambition headset; her costumes were nice but not shocking or over the top; she played her guitar often; and she led the audience in a sing-along. But then again, how traditional can you be when you’re Madonna? The concert also featured, oh, let’s see, a white convertible, a boxing rink, and flamenco dancers. That’s without even mentioning the virtual Britney (which I missed) and the virtual Justin (which I though was cool).[UPDATE: Though not as cool as seeing them both in person, as the lucky Los Angelinos did!]

It was a Big Deal for Madonna to come to Vancouver. Throngs converged on B.C. Place and police were on hand to divert vehicular traffic and keep order. The stadium itself was packed, as the molasses-like crowd moved in and then out of the venue. Fire trap if I ever saw one. Swag? I got a concert program, of course, but decided to hold off on the T-shirts: $25 for Obama tees, $50+ for Madonna. Silly.

I had been wondering why this concert was on a Thursday night. The answer was soon apparent: Friday was Halloween, and Vancouver’s West Enders take Halloween Very Seriously. We saw people in costume all day, there were parties till the wee hours, and yet again the police were closing off streets and keeping a watchful eye.

You know how Big Tobacco is supposedly not longer targeting kids to get them to smoke cigarettes? Well, nobody said anything about little cigars– essentially often-flavored cigarettes in a brown wrapper. Coincidentally, this category of tobacco products is not subject to the same tax and regulations as cigarettes…

Get them while they’re young, Evita, get them while they’re young…

All too often, people focus on immediate crises at the expense of long-term plans that can prevent such crises in the future. Case in point: diabetes treatment:

[Diabetes centers across New York] did not shut down because they had failed their patients. They closed because they had failed to make money. They were victims of the byzantine world of American health care, in which the real profit is made not by controlling chronic diseases like diabetes but by treating their many complications

Doonesbury on intelligent design.

If you’re at all concerned about fairness in the Supreme Court, consider signing the Stop Alito petition. Alito’s record shows him to not be the defender of civil liberties we very much need on the Supreme Court. If nothing else, his failure to recuse himself in cases where there was even an appearance of conflict of interest should raise some concerns.

Somehow, English textbooks in Pakistan came to include a poem praising the qualities of a leader. The government is now telling students to ignore the poem until the textbooks can be reprinted next year, not because it is cheesy, but because the first letters of each verse spell out “PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH”:

Patient and steady with all he must bear, Ready to meet every challenge with care, Easy in manner, yet solid as steel, Strong in his faith, refreshingly real. Isn’t afraid to propose what is bold, Doesn’t conform to the usual mould, Eyes that have foresight, for hindsight won’t do, Never backs down when he sees what is true, Tells it all straight, and means it all too. Going forward and knowing he’s right, Even when doubted for why he would fight, Over and over he makes his case clear, Reaching to touch the ones who won’t hear. Growing in strength he won’t be unnerved, Ever assuring he’ll stand by his word. Wanting the world to join his firm stand, Bracing for war, but praying for peace, Using his power so evil will cease, So much a leader and worthy of trust, Here stands a man who will do what he must.

It is thought that maybe the textbook writers found the poem on the Internet.